Alloy.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH PATRICK, OF 'FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,428, dated May 1, 1900. Application filed October 1,1898. Serial No. 692,418. (No specimens.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH PATRICK, asubject of the Queen of England, and a resident of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, have in-' vented certain new and useful Improvements in Alloys, of which the following is aspecification.

It is well known that the addition of magnesium will render nickel more ductile than it is in its pure condition, and in order to attain this result it has hitherto been the practice to melt down the nickel to free it entirely from its slag and then to add the magnesium metal. This course, however, is not without certain drawbacks, as it is attended with risk of explosions, while it invariably leads to a somewhat serious loss of magnesium. Also in proceeding in the aforesaid manner it has been necessary to bring the nickel-bath prior to the addition of the magnesium to an accurately-determined temperature above its point of fusion,- Which determination of temperature is fraught with considerable difficulty. All these inconveniences are obviated by conducting the operations according to this invention, as follows:

To the pieces of nickel to be melted chlorid of magnesium is added, together with fluorspar and powdered charcoal, and the resulting mixture is melted in acrucible. A layer of slag forms over the melting nickel-bath, which layer,althoughnotstiflflisverycohesive.

The charcoal effects a reduction of the ma nesium salt. A certain amount of chlorin is liberated and escapes, and the reduced magnesium enters the nickel-bath and forms an alloy with the nickel. In this manner a nickel alloy containing the desired percentage of magnesium is obtained safely at little cost and without the necessity of paying special attention to the temperature. It will of course be understood that other magnesium compounds may be similarly utilized,though chlo rid of magnesium is preferred. By the aid of .the bath thus prepared and of its cohesive layer of slag it is possible to produce an alloy of nickel and zinc whereof the percentage of zinc will by far exceed that which, in accordance with Heitmanns theory, (see his German.

patent, No. 9,405,) such an alloy has hitherto been deemed capable of attaining. The alloy resulting from the process described in that patent'contains only ten per cent. of Zinc, as a portion of the zinc used in the process volatilizes and does not combine with the other metal. To effect this, zinc pieces which have previously been heated are introduced into the bath, taking care to preserve the layer of slag intact, and are retained at the bottom thereof (which may be done by means of an t iron rod) until they are dissolved in the bath of melted nickel. A quantity of zinc, more than double that hitherto combinable, may thus be added, and the peculiar nature ofithe layer of slag, as alsothe precaution of keep ing the zinc down at the bottom, serve to prevent an escape of zinc vapors and enable the percentage of zinc in the alloy almost exactly to correspond to the theoretical quantity. These alloys of nickel are not so well fitted for the direct production of castings, but are admirably suited to the preparation of an alloy of nickel and, copper, both moderate in price and fulfilling all technical requirements, the copper in this case being added to the nickel-bath (described in the introductory.

part of this specification) either before or after the addition of zinc.

The copper alloy obtained by this process will answer all purposes for which brass and tombao havebeen employed until now, over which metals it presents, however, the advantages of'a better color, greater density and ductility, and an exceedingly-moderate cost, and it is also distinguishable from German silver by its considerably-less cost price and its finer color.

I claim- 1. The herein-described process for obtain ing an alloy of nickel, magnesium and zinc, which consists in adding to nickel and a salt of magnesium, a flux adapted to form a co hesive slag and-a reducing agent for said mag nesium salt, melting the mixture, and introducing zinc into the molten mass and maintaining said zinc underneath the slag until it is melted.

2. The herein-described process forobtaining an alloy of copper, nickel, magnesium and zinc which consists in adding to nickel and a salt of magnesium, a flux adapted to form a cohesive slag and a reducing agent for said magnesium, then melting the mixture, charcoal to nickle and magnesium chlorid, introducing zinc into the molten mass and and melting the mixture. f maintaining said zinc underneath the slag In testimony whereof I have signed my until it 'is melted, and finally in adding copname to this specification in the presence of 5 per to the molten nickel-magnesium mixture two subscribing witnesses.

at any time with respect to the time of introl 1 r ducing the zinc.. u JOSEPH TR 3. The herein described process for obtainvWitnesses:

ing an alloy of nickel and'magnesium, which DEAN B. MAsoN,

IO consists in adding fluor-spar and powdered JEAN GRUND; 

